Escape from Carver V
by RougeBaron
Summary: Complete! Spinoff of I, Kerensky. Ever wonder where Evee Ridinghood got all the money to hire her former employer? This is her show, which happens between Ch.19 and Ch.20 of I, Kerensky. The Shooting Stars from SulliMike23 guest star.
1. Chapter 1

**ESCAPE FROM CARVER V**

**Note**: This story is a spin-off of _I, Kerensky_. It takes place between Ch. 19 and Ch.20 of _I, Kerensky_, during which Parker was taken bondsman by the maniacal Jerome Helmer. In a desperate move, Evee joined Hanson Roughriders to raise money, and was sent to Chaos March with colorful mercenaries, unwary to death that lurked beneath the world of Carver V. This is their story.

**Characters**

**The Cavaliers **

Sebastian Knell - CO of Knell's Cavaliers of Hanson's Roughriders - _Orion  
_Matt Mamias – leader of Scout Lance, Knell's Cavaliers - _Panther  
_Daniel Wilks – leader of Fire Lance, Knell's Cavaliers - _Hunchback  
_Chris Fulton - _Javelin  
_"Psycho" – _Jenner  
_Allison - _Fire Hawk  
_Evee Ridinghood – _Trebuchet  
_Ash Reeves – _Clint  
_Kangpae - _Outbound  
_Bill Xander – _Quickdraw  
_Jules Hidleman – _Jaggermech  
_Sandra Findley – second-in-command - _Awesome_

**Shooting Stars** (property of _SulliMike23_)

Captain Kyle Garret – Commanding Officer – _Mad Cat  
_Leftenant Natalie Gibson – Tac Officer - _Loki  
_Subaltern Miguel Martinez - _Bushwacker  
_Subaltern Eric Anderson - _Bushwacker_

**Others**

Mayor Systain – mayor of pro-Davion civilians in Carver V  
Sang-Wei Wu Kan – Commanding Officer of Zhanzheng deGuang 1st Armor Brigade

**Legal Stuffs **

BattleTech/MechWarrior and all its components are copyright of _FASA_ and_ Wizkids  
_The Shooting Stars and all its components are copyright of _SulliMike23_.  
_Fire Hawk_ and _Outbound_ battlemechs are copyright of me, _RogueBaron_.  
All rights reserved.

**

* * *

**

**Chapter I**

_ **Harlech Loading Dock,**  
__**Harlech, Outreach,  
September 12, 3059** _

Evee Ridinghood stood in awe in front of the _Union_-Class dropship, watching trucks and loaders stuffed logistics and ammunitions into the belly. Some battlemechs crept up the ramp into the bays, starting from the diminutive _Javelin_ up to the gargantuan _Awesome_. Each mechs carried the horned skull emblem that was the crest of Hanson's Roughriders mercenary unit on their legs. Another crest, a soldier holding a long rifle with a bayonet, was engraved on each mech's left arm. It was the crest of the Knell's Cavaliers, the company Evee was assigned to.

Just two hours earlier Evee got herself employed by the Knell Cavaliers, a mercenary unit sponsored by Hanson's Roughriders. She was the last-minute addition to Knell's Cavaliers, a mercenary company sponsored by the Hanson's Roughriders that was going to the world of Carver V on Chaos March. There was chaos on Carver V, the outcome of Capellan – Marik invasion of Sarna March in 3057, and FedCom units were evacuating pro-Davion civilians off planet. The Knell's Cavaliers were hired to assist these FedCom units.

"Dropship command, this is Evee Ridinghood, Knell's Cavaliers. Permission to board," Evee hailed the dropship through her comlink.

"Stand by," the operator answered apathetically. "Ridinghood, you said? There's no Ridinghood on my list. Are you sure you're on the right flight?"

"I just joined this unit two hours ago. You could ask Hanson's Roughriders operatives, or CO of Knell's Cavaliers. His name is Sebastian Knell… that is K-N-E-double-L."

"I see it, Miss Ridinghood. Line up on the mech row and enter when you're due."

"Affirmative," Evee stirred her 50-ton _Trebuchet_ on the back of the mech row. While waiting, her mind took her back to Calafell in Lyran space, the last day she saw her lover alive before he was taken by the Jade Falcon maniac. The Jade Falcon let her go because her lover, Parker, made a bold bid to save her and the entire Kell Hound crews, but he was not fortunate enough to save himself. So the Jade Falcon took him as a _bondsman_.

For almost a year, Evee tried to muster an army to retake Parker from the Jade Falcon. But Phelan Kell, or Khan Phelan Ward, refused to assist her after what Parker had done to him. The Kell Hounds simply rejected because Evee did not have enough money to hire them. And that was the case with other mercenary units. They demanded high price, because they had to fight the Jade Falcon where Parker was held. That was what prompted her to join the Hanson's Roughriders. Hopefully she would get enough money to save Parker before it was too late.

The dropship gave her permission to enter, and Evee parked her mech on the only empty bay left. All 12 mechs of the Knell's Cavaliers company had been loaded onto the dropship. She exited her mech, and several mechwarriors had been waiting for her on the ground.

"New recruit, sister?" a thin, dark-haired girl asked her.

"That's right," Evee nodded. "Evee Ridinghood, nice to meet you."

"Allison," the girl smiled. "This is Kangpae, and the one next to him is Daniel Wilks."

"Dan's a good leader," a medium-built man joined in. "He's the CO of fire lance. Fought in War of 3039. We'll serve the Cavaliers together under his leadership. Anyway, I'm Kangpae. I'm an ex-Solaris mechwarrior."

"Really?" Evee forged a smile. "What brought you here, then?"

"Experience. Nothing more valuable than experience on the sand of the Colliseum."

"True, true," Daniel nodded. "So what's your story, Ridinghood?"

"Well," Evee held back her words. "Nothing fancy. I came from the periphery, served with CAMR for 2 years, worked here and there, then found out that you're short of 1 mechwarrior at the last minute."

"That is true," suddenly a muscular woman with red wavy hair appeared. "Is this the new one?"

"Evee Ridinghood," Evee nodded. "And you are…"

"Sandra Findley, second-in-command. I am the pilot of that _Awesome_, the biggest mech in this company."

"Sandra is very proud of her _Awesome_," Allison explained. "She got it after killing the pilot, a Lyran hautpmann-general, with a clean headshot."

Four other men joined in. "I'm Bill Xander, these are Jules Hidleman, Ash Reeves, and Chris Fulton. Good to meet you newbie." The mercenaries offered their hands for handshakes.

At the same time, another man arrived. He was Captain Sebastian Knell, a medium-sized man with numerous wings and medals on his uniform. Upon seeing the CO, Sandra bellowed, "Officer on deck! Fall in!"

Evee and the rest of mercenaries quickly formed a single-line rank. Captain Knell issued 'At ease' command, then spoke, "Ladies and gents, we are taking off in 3 hours. We're going to Carver V. As its region's namesake, there is only chaos in Carver V. The Zhanzheng deGuang terrorist group, funded by Liao bastards, have been harassing pro-Davion civilians. We are hired to assist the FedCom to evacuate the civilians. There are some local powers on Carver V, but as far as I'm concern, there are only 2 factions down there: FedCom and bandits. Shoot the bandits! I don't care where it comes from, if it doesn't have FedCom label, kill it. We do this until all the pro-Davion civilians have been transported safely out of Carver V. Then we can go home and collect the money."

"How many FedCom units are there on Carver V?" Ash asked.

"We'll know when we make contact with them. Any other question? If not, then dismiss."

* * *

Next on **Escape from Carver V**:

"Alright, Scout Lance, you go first. Fire Lance, bring your lance 200 meters behind the Scout Lance. I'll watch your back."  
"What? Those were Long Tom artillery! Command, somebody's attacking us!"  
"Spread out and find them! Fire Lance, fry it as soon as you see it!"  
"Damn! I'm hit! My mech is crippled!"  
"Get out of there, man! Eject! Eject!"  
"Argh! That's a no go, Sir!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter II **

_**Jumpship Catalonia,  
**__**Carver V Orbit, Chaos March,  
**__**December 11, 3059**_

For about 2 months, the Knell's Cavaliers members became Evee's new family. She grew particularly close to Allison and learnt that Allison used to work for the Lyrans, Kangpae was a mediocre Solaris fighter (and it was the reason he left Solaris and joined the Hanson's Roughriders), Jules Hidleman was taken POW by the Kuritans and developed a psychiatric problem, Bill Xander had some money on his head, and Sebastian Knell assumed command of the Cavaliers after killing its former CO. There was a person Evee had not known or spoken with yet. He was a mysterious man known only by 'Psycho'. Nothing was known about this man apart from he was wanted in several major worlds. But he was a good mechwarrior and fought harder than anybody in the unit.

Today the Cavaliers gathered in the briefing room. Captain Kyle Garret of the Shooting Stars, a Davion unit, conducted a briefing for the Cavalier's first mission. "As you all know, you're heading to a chaotic planet in Carver V," Kyle said through the screen. "My unit stations at the city of Ayodya, but it is too hot to drop-off in the city. I'm sending you an alternate drop-off point. It is 15 kilometers outside the city of Ayodya. Make your best speed to Ayodya."

"What's the sitrep down there, Captain?" Sebastian asked.

"There are a dozen factions that fight each other, some are extremely hostile, others won't care about you. Avoid gunfight unless necessary. Your true enemy is Liao's Zhanzheng deGuang. It is the one that terrorized pro-Davion civilians. So open your eyes. This is a free combat zone. See you when you get here."

"Alright, Cavaliers, suit up and ready for drop-off!" Sebastian yelled as soon as Kyle disappeared.

All pilots went to the hangar bay of the dropship. Evee changed her clothing to her cooling jacket, fastened her Mamias, then climbed into the cockpit. As the technicians locked her canopy, Evee initiated the start up sequence. Seeing everything was in good condition, Evee contacted her superior, "Fire lance leader, this is Evee Ridinghood. All system nominal, ready to go."

"Stay on my six, Ridinghood," Daniel Wilks answered. "Keep your guns hot, but fire only on my mark."

Five minutes later, the dropship detached and started the descent toward Carver V surface. The wall rattled and groaned, as if it was about to break. Evee never liked this sequence, but she would do it anytime for Parker. About half an hour went by, and the dropship shook in one mighty quake, then stopped.

As the door rolled open, Evee pushed the throttle forward, being the first one that climbed down the ramp of the dropship. Carver V was a barren rock, with the torn city of Ayodya spread in front of her eyes. Pillars of smoke rose from the city, and occasional flashes prompted her with the fact that there was a war going on at the city. Evee painted the horizon with her long-range radar, looking for potential threats, but all she could see was debris. She waited until the Cavaliers finished dismounting the dropship, then lined up behind Daniel's _Hunchback_.

"Alright, Scout Lance, you go first," Sebastian commanded his troops. "Fire Lance, bring your lance 200 meters behind the Scout Lance. I'll watch your back."

The Scout Lance arranged themselves in line formation, followed by the Fire Lance in diamond formation. The Command Lance took the last position behind the Fire Lance. They crossed the barren land quickly toward the city. Up to that point, they maintained radio silence because they did not want to attract the warring factions.

The travel was pretty much fine until 5 kilometers from the city, an explosion blasted very close to the Scout Lance. The _Javelin_ almost fell off by the shockwave. As it painfully tried to regain balance, two more explosions rocked the world, this time very close to the Fire Lance. Smoke and dirt flew in the air.

"What? Those were Long Tom artillery! Command, somebody's attacking us!" Allison croaked in panic.

"Spread out and find them!" Knell replied. "Fire Lance, fry it as soon as you see it!"

Evee took her mech to the left and flicked her radar, but she realized that the Long Tom had longer range than her radar. She would not be able to find the Long Tom until it fell within 1000 meters from her, and for all she knew, the Long Tom could be 5 kilometers away from them.

The whistling sound of descending shells grew more and more apparent then ended in three huge explosions among the Cavaliers. All mechs spread out and crisscrossing their paths, minimizing the chance of getting hit by the Long Toms, while sprinting toward the city. But the next waves fell too close to Ash Reeves. One shell blasted and ripped the right leg of his _Clint_. The lanky battlemech jerked and toppled like a timber.

"Damn!" Ash yelled. "I'm hit! My mech is crippled!"

"Get out of there, man!" Daniel Wilks roared. "Eject! Eject! Evee, turn back and help him out!"

But it was too late. The next wave of Long Toms fell directly onto the _Clint_. Blue light spewed out of the mech, indicating reactor failure, then a geyser of fire and smoke rose into the sky, raining down molten metal and burning debris. Some mechs that was too close to the erupting _Clint_ received minor damage.

"Argh! That's a no go, Sir! Ash is gone!" Evee turned her mech back toward the city.

"Everybody go to the city! They can't hit us inside the city!" Sebastian screamed his order.

Evee pushed her reactor to maximum, bringing her _Trebuchet_ running top speed. Long Tom artilleries roared left and right, but no one was caught in its fire. As soon as the Cavaliers entered the city, the artillery rain stopped. A group of _Mad Cat_, _Loki,_ and two _Bushwackers_ were waiting for them behind an abandoned building, and Evee took a deep breath upon seeing the FedCom crest on its torso.

"Knell's Cavaliers, this is Captain Kyle Garret, commanding officer of the Shooting Stars. Rough flight?"

"The flight is fine," Sebastian huffed. "We lost one mech on the ground travel."

"My condolences," Kyle turned around, followed by the other mechs. "I'll lead you to our field base. Stay close to me. You'll get lost easily on Ayodya."

* * *

Next on **Escape from Carver V**:

"Who else knows about you coming to Carver V?"  
"What, you think Hanson's Roughriders sold us? We are a professional mercenary unit, for God sake! Or do you imply that there is mole inside us?"  
"We have to be careful. There might be a mercenary with his own agenda."  
"What? Are you that certain?"  
"Look, FedCom hates Liao, and Liao hates FedCom. The Shooting Stars are a bunch of zealots that would rather die than giving Liao the advantage. The Cavaliers, on the other hands, fights only for money."  
"Everybody may have a motive, including you. So next time, think before you accuse somebody of treason."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter III **

_**Shooting Stars Field Base, Ayodya,  
**__**Carver V, Chaos March,  
**__**December 12, 3059**_

The attack on the Cavaliers by unseen attackers was discussed with everybody. The Shooting Stars and the Knell's Cavaliers gathered under the tarp tent to discuss the attack. Kyle Garret stared at the plot of enemy's firing pattern. "This is obviously Long Tom guns," he explained. "Based on your report, there are 3 of them. And since you could not spot them, it means they were outside the city, farther than the maximum distance of your radar."

"Do you know who's got Long Tom units?" Sebastian mused.

"Zhanzheng deGuang," Natalie replied. "Local fighters and guerillas don't use artillery. Long Tom must be supplied from the major house, and beside the Zhanzheng deGuang, I don't know anybody else with tight relationship with any major houses."

"And I lost a mech because of their cowardly attack!" Knell fussed. "Let's kill them and send them all to hell!"

"Ah, _usted habla las tonterias, amigo!_" Miguel interjected. "The Zhanzheng deGuang must have hundreds of mechs in Carver V. This is their lair, their natural habitat."

"My friend Miguel is right," Kyle added. "Our mission is evacuation, not search and destroy. Beside, there's something about this attack that bothers me. It seems that they know you are coming. Artillery usually needs about 5 volleys to get close to the target. In 3 volleys, they already hit one of your mechs. Coincidence? Perhaps, but I tend to consider the worst case."

"So what does it mean?" Sandra Findley interjected. "Somebody sold us?"

"Not necessarily," Natalie said. "They could have a spotter. Artillery's accuracy increases with a spotter."

"True, but how did they know where to put the spotter?"

Nobody would answer Kyle's last comment, because nobody wanted the truth. And the truth was the Zhanzheng deGuang might know about the Cavaliers.

"Who else knows about us coming to Carver V?" Sebastian asked Kyle.

"My superior," Kyle answered. "And his superior, and perhaps the superior of his superior. But I have the right to ask you the same question. Who else knows about you coming to Carver V?"

"What, you think Hanson's Roughriders sold us?" Sebastian fumed. "We are a professional mercenary unit, for God sake! Or do you imply that there is mole inside us?"

"Can we talk in private, Commander?" Kyle signaled Sebastian to step out of the tent.

As the two commanders discussed the situation alone, Evee dragged Allison out of the tent. "We have to be careful, Allison," Evee said. "There might be a mercenary with his own agenda."

"What? Are you that certain?" Allison frowned.

"Look, FedCom hates Liao, and Liao hates FedCom. The Shooting Stars are a bunch of zealots that would rather die than giving Liao the advantage. The Cavaliers, on the other hands, fights only for money. Chris Fulton used to work for Liao. Bill Xander was a pirate. And we don't know anything about the 'Psycho'."

"I've been fighting with them for sometime, and they are professional." Allison looked Evee in the eye. "Everybody may have a motive, including you. So next time, think before you accuse somebody of treason. You might not trust them, but they're your family. They're the only ones you can trust with your life."

Evee was about to open her mouth, but Kyle and Sebastian had come back to the tent, so she followed Allison back inside.

"We have to move out," Kyle said. "We have to assume that the Zhanzheng deGuang knows our position. Natalie and I will find a new place for our field base. In the mean time, I need a recon team to scan the vicinity. Find anything unusual."

"Matt, this one is you," Sebastian added. "Take your lance to scan the city and beyond. I need a good spin, maybe two. Make sure that you know everything there is to know about the city, map it if necessary. Then report back to me."

"That's a roger," Matt Mamias nodded. "Alright Scout Lance, let's move out."

When Allison started to prepare, Evee caught her again. "Be careful out there."

Allison smiled. "If there's something bad happened, you'll be the first one to know."

* * *

Next on **Escape from Carver V**:

"This is not your fight, mercenaries. Whatever the Davions pay you, we'll pay you double. If you're smart, you'll lay down your weapons and give us the Davion's position. If you reject, then prepare to die! You have 1 minute to decide!"  
"If you really want to live, kill your lance mates. They're dumb and not worthy our money! Kill them, and Zhanzheng deGuang welcomes you!"  
"I will never work for them or you!"  
"Then let's do this the hard way. Prepare to die!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter IV**

_**City of Ayodya,  
**__**Carver V, Chaos March,  
**__**December 13, 3059**_

It was dawn in the city of Ayodya, and Allison pushed the pedal on her _Fire Hawk_ to stay in the formation with 3 other mechs. The 30-ton jump-capable Lyran had a unique design, carrying 2 medium pulse lasers on each side of torso and 1 SRM6 and running 96 kph. Coventry Metal Works designed this unit to replace the aging _Commando_, but field test on Eaton turned FUBAR. Six _Fire Hawk_ prototypes were destroyed in a pirate-busting mission. The project was scraped, and the remaining prototypes were sold to civilians and mercenary use.

Running on the front was Allison's lance commander, Matt Mamias in his _Panther_. The humanoid battlemech, though weighed only 35 tons, carried enough firepower to slug it out with some medium mechs like _Sentinel, Clint_, or _Whitworth_. Allison covered Matt' left flank, while Chris Fulton took the right wing in his _Javelin_. Psycho the mysterious mercenary closed the diamond formation in his _Jenner_.

"Scout Lance, this is Central," Sebastian called. "FedCom's radar picked up a movement 7 clicks south of Ayodya. Why don't you check it out."

"Roger that Central," Matt spoke through the comlink. "We are on our last leg of this patrol run, and we can swing by the designated vicinity. Alright people, set a new course to Nav Point Epsilon, 7 kilometers south of Ayodya. We are going to investigate some unknown activities."

Allison maintained his position beside Matt' _Panther_ as the lance made a hard turn to the left, and after running 20 minutes, they arrived at Nav Point Epsilon. They found no tracks of large force presence near the vicinity, which was a sort of relief. Suddenly Allison detected something on his radar. Numerous vehicle signatures zipped through the savanna and dashed toward their position. She saw multiple _Bulldogs_ and _Vedettes_ with some LRM launchers as backup. She called Matt, "Scout Leader, I detected a lance of unidentified vehicles... no, two... blast it, a company of tanks coming inbound!"

"What?" Chris croaked in panic. "Why didn't we see them before?"

"They must've been shut down in a cave or something," Matt replied. "Hold your fire! We can't win against them! I'll try to communicate with them." Matt switched to general frequency, "Unidentified armor company, this is Matt Mamias, Knell's Cavaliers. Please identify yourself!"

"This is Sang-Wei Wu Kan, commander of Zhanzheng deGuang 1st Armor Company," a hoarse voice came in the comlink. "This is not your fight, mercenaries. Whatever the Davions pay you, we'll pay you double. If you're smart, you'll lay down your weapons and give us the Davion's position. If you reject, then prepare to die! You have 1 minute to decide!"

Sweat beaded on Allison's face, not because of the heat (since he hadn't fired her guns), but because of fear and nervousness. Her breath went ragged, and her hands trembled as she gripped her joysticks. But she hardened her heart, and readied himself to face the terrorists.

"I don't need a minute," Matt growled. "You can go to hell with your offer! Scout Lance, send mess…"

Before Matt could finish his sentence, quadruple red beams stabbed him at the back of his _Panther_. The 35-ton mech jerked forward, then staggered hard to cope with the loss of balance. Four missiles slammed into its back. The rear armor, thin and weakened by the laser blast a second ago, gave in to the immense power of the missiles. The ammunition loader was torched, and the _Panther_ exploded in brilliant flash.

Allison would never see that one coming. Even if she did not know anything about the Psycho, she had accepted him as her family. But to her dismay, the _Jenner_ marched forward and took the space where the _Panther_ was seconds before it went off.

"My name is Psycho, I assume command of Scout Lance. Sang-Wei Wu Kan, we are going with you."

"How could you, Psycho?" Allison protested. "How could you kill Matt?"

"Do you want to die, Allison?" Psycho yelled. "They have 3-to-1 advantage in numbers, and they have better money than the FedCom!"

"But we can't throw in ourselves to them, Psycho!" Allison blurted. "They are terrorists! We can send a distress signal to Ayodya, and they will send us a reinforcement to obliterate the terrorists!"

"Even if Sebastian and the FedCom sent reinforcement to help us, by the time reinforcements arrive, we're dead already! I'm doing the best for us, Allison! Lay down your weapon! That's an order!"

"It seems that you are the only one with wisdom, Psycho," Wu Kan spoke through the comlink. "If you really want to live, kill your lance mates. They're dumb and not worthy our money! Kill them, and Zhanzheng deGuang welcomes you!"

The _Jenner_ swung left, placing its quadruple medium laser cannons right on Allison's center torso. "Don't make me do this Allison," Psycho rapped, "I hate to kill you. You have talents, dedication, and great future. The FedCom doesn't care about us. They are busy fighting the Lyrans and the Capellans."

"You killed Matt!" Allison snarled. "I will never work for them or you!"

"Have it your way!" Psycho barked and opened fire. Maroon light gleamed from his right arm as four laser beams struck Allison's _Fire Hawk_ right in the midst. The light mech jerked and toppled behind. A huge crater gapped on the 30-tonner's midst, spewing smoke, blue sparks, and molten armor. Allison moaned in agony. Sweat ran down her cheek, and for one second she thought she was dead already. Exactly how his _Fire Hawk_ managed to sustain multiple point-blank laser blasts of a _Jenner_ was beyond her comprehension.

"Take this, traitor!" Chris Fulton screamed as he launched missile streaks from his _Javelin_. The missiles cored the _Jenner's_ rear, throwing it off balance. The _Jenner_ looped and quickly latched onto Chris' rear. Chris banked hard to the left as deadly missiles strafed the empty void where he was a second ago. The _Jenner_ twisted to the left, catching Chris from the opposite side. Psycho pumped up his lasers, raking Chris' right torso. He followed with his missiles to the gutted right torso of Chris' _Javelin_. Tongues of fire blossomed from the internal structure, a clear hint of engine damage. The _Javelin_ slowed down a bit, losing 50-percent of power. Psycho grazed his alpha-strike button, and punched it as soon as his weapons got ready. The _Javelin_ exploded in a blinding flash.

"Now its your turn, Allison!" Psycho chuckled wryly.

Knowing her lance mate was deadly serious about defecting to Zhanzheng deGuang, Allison twisted her torso and pressed the trigger. Blinding flash leapt from her medium pulse lasers, turning a ton of the _Jenner's_ rear armor into molten metal. Psycho quickly turned around and fired his missiles, but Allison flinched, missing the warheads by the inches. Allison aligned her crosshair and unleashed her missiles at Psycho' right torso, hoping to neutralize half of Psycho' lasers. But close-quarter combat was not Allison's forte. Her missiles flew high, missing Psycho by almost a meter.

"Ha! You still think you can win, don't you Allison?" Psycho chuckled. "Well lo and behold, you can't touch me with that pathetic mech of yours! Just give it up and surrender!"

"You will not get away with this, Psycho!" Allison growled.

"Then let's do this the hard way," Psycho sneered. "Prepare to die!"

As Psycho lined up his lasers at Allison, she bolted forward and punched the _Jenner_ on the cockpit. It would have been catastrophic if she got the cockpit. Her punch hit the _Jenner's_ neck, right behind the cockpit. But it proved to be fatal to the 35-ton mech. Sparks and armor splinters flew to every direction as most of the control lines from the cockpit were cut off. The _Jenner_ swayed comically, like a drunken beast, before careening to the ground, paralyzed.

"Damn you Allison!" Psycho cursed. "Damn you to hell!"

Allison tightened her grips to the trigger, but she knew that she could not win against a company of Zhanzheng deGuang tanks. Her _Fire Hawk_ could not take another hit on the torso. So Allison slammed her foot on the pedal, opting to run. The _Fire Hawk_ broke into a limping sprint. She paced her mech into maximum speed, before the tanks could get a lock on her.

* * *

Next on **Escape from Carver V**:

"There's a problem, Sir… A company of Zhanzheng deGuang armor is on my tail, more might be on the way. If I return to base, I will lead them straight to your position. Request alternate route, Sir."  
"We can take on this armors. Lead them to us."  
"Hold that thought. Bird-Eye just confirmed that Zhanzheng deGuang is coming to Ayodya from three different directions. Strength is still unknown."  
"What do you think, Captain Garret?"  
"Round up your men. We're leaving Ayodya."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter V**

_**City of Ayodya,  
**__**Carver V, Chaos March,  
**__**December 13, 3059**_

"Allison, I can't understand what you're saying!" Sebastian Knell spoke through the comlink. "Communicate slowly and clearly! What happened out there? Where's Matt?"

"Matt Mamias is gone," Allison sobbed on the comlink. "So is Chris Fulton. Psycho killed them all. It's Psycho, Sir! He's the traitor!"

"That sonofabitch!" Sebastian almost threw his mike. "Return to base immediately!"

"There's a problem, Sir… A company of Zhanzheng deGuang armor is on my tail, more might be on the way. If I return to base, I will lead them straight to your position. Request alternate route, Sir."

"Negative, Allison," suddenly Kyle interfered. "We can take on this armors. Lead them to us."

"What about reinforcement?" Sebastian protested. "Allison said there might be more coming."

"If we can kill these Liao bastards before their reinforcement come, we can escape and hide. Get your men ready, Commander. It's time we stand our ground!"

Under the barking orders of Sebastian Knell, Evee climbed on her _Trebuchet_ which had been armed with pylons of missiles and a trio of medium lasers. She quickly jumped into the cockpit, closed the hatch and started her mech. The 50-ton mech quaked to life, and Evee manipulated her throttle to get into formation with others.

"I want in-line formation!" Sebastian yelled his orders. "Wait until they come within 800 meters, then smoke their asses with your long range weapons! I want every single one of these terrorist scums blow up into smithereens! And if you see a _Jenner_… Don't touch it! I will deal with Psycho myself!"

About three minutes later, a single _Fire Hawk_ appeared on the radar. It was being chased by multiple red dots, which appeared to be _Bulldogs_, _Vedettes_, and LRM carriers. Evee put her targeting reticule on an LRM carrier, and waited until her reticule burnt gold, signaling that she had a hard lock. She put her finger on the trigger, but waited until the carrier was close to 800 meters.

"Target acquired, 800 meters," she informed Sebastian. "Permission to engage!"

"Fire at will!" Sebastian croaked. "Send them all to hell!"

"Eat this, bastard!" Evee growled as she launched her missiles at the carrier. Smoke obscured her vision as 30 missiles leapt from the tubes, leaving trails of white smoke as it sped to the LRM carrier. One second later, her radar screamed proximity alarm. Her enemy had launched its missiles. Their missiles crossed path in the air, some collided and exploded midair, lighting up the dim city like fireworks. Evee brought her mech to crouch, missing the enemy missiles. The missiles exploded harmlessly at an empty building behind her. But the LRM carrier could not dodge Evee's missiles. A dozen missiles slammed into its hull, ripping up armor and internal structure. A fireball blossomed in front of her, taking the enemy apart.

"Yeah! Smoked one!" Evee screamed in delight.

"Nice shooting, kid," Sebastian commented. "Dispatch the other LRM carriers quickly!"

"Affirmative, Sir!" Evee banked right to latch on another LRM carrier, but a _Bulldog_ had come in range. A laser hit on the torso threw her off balance, and a subsequent wave of missiles from the tank turned her armor tracker to solid gold.

"Enemy _Bulldogs _are mounting pressure on me," Evee called for help. "Request assistance."

"Keep your head down, girl," Eric Anderson from the Shooting Stars pushed his _Bushwacker_ in front of Evee, blocking her from the next wave of attack of the _Bulldog_. His missiles raced toward the tank, shredding its front hull and setting up major fire on the starboard side. At 500 meters, Eric let loose his 120-mm autocannon, cleaving the _Bulldog_ into halves. Fire belched from the gutted tank, and it exploded in a yellow fireball.

"My thanks," Evee chimed while her console rang, declaring a hard lock. She hit the trigger, and thirty missiles burst from her tubes, racing in the air toward the LRM carrier. The tracked vehicle zigzagged to elude the attack, but seven missiles slammed home on the back hull. Major fire engulfed the carrier, and it turned 180 degree, running away from battle.

"Oh, no you don't!" Evee pushed her mech forward, painting the carrier until her weapons recycled. She hit the trigger one more time, and this time, all missiles slammed home. Tongues of fire licked from the tank as it disintegrated into 3 parts, just before a fireball consumed everything that was left.

Meanwhile, the combined attack of Knell's Cavaliers and Shooting Stars destroyed the majority of the enemy attackers. Knowing that they could not win, the rest of the Zhanzheng deGuang turned back and retreated to the planet. Victorious screams flooded the comlink.

"The Liao terrorist is retreating!" Kyle blurted. "Cavaliers, what's your status?"

"We've destroyed 7 enemy tanks among ourselves, Captain," Sebastian replied. "Two LRM Carriers, two _Bulldogs_, and three _Vedettes_. No casualties. My scout told me that the Liao's commander was Sang-Wei Wu Kan. I hope he's among those who fell under our guns."

"Or ours," Kyle added. "I want a search party to investigate Liao's wreckages."

"Hold that thought," Natalie called from her mech. "Bird-Eye just confirmed that Zhanzheng deGuang is coming to Ayodya from three different directions. Strength is still unknown."

"Liao bastards! What do they want?" Sandra grumbled.

"I don't know, but I don't want to hang out here to find out," Sebastian snorted. "What do you think, Captain Garret?"

"Agreed, Commander Knell," Kyle said. "Round up your men. We're leaving Ayodya."

"Are you going to let Ayodya fall to Liao's hand?" Evee asked.

"Our objective is to evacuate civilians, not to fight Liao's terrorists," Kyle explained. "Let Ayodya fall to Liao. There's nothing we can do about it, and it is not our interest. We'll search and rescue as many civilians as we can, then get off planet before we fall victim of Liao's greed in this planet."

* * *

Next on **Escape from Carver V**:

"Losing them is a hard blow to her faith, especially because the one that she relied on was the one that betrayed her and tried to kill her."  
"Do you trust your lance mates?"  
"No. My previous lance leader left me behind in the hands of the enemy. From that moment on I realize that I can't expect much from mercenaries. There's no sense of solidarity or dedication, only greed."  
"Then why are you here, fighting with us?"  
"Like everybody else, to make money."  
"And you expect me to believe you? There are a lot of safer ways to raise money. You can be a millionaire in weeks. There's no risk of being gutted by your allies. But instead, you chose the way of a mercenary. Why?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter VI **

_**City of Hastina,  
**__**Carver V, Chaos March,  
**__**December 27, 30593**_

After Ayodya fell to Zhanzheng deGuang, the Shooting Stars and the Knell's Cavaliers moved to another city, Hastina. It was a small city about half a day away from Ayodya. Hastina did not have any strategic value, only pro-Davion civilians. They were happy to see the Shooting Stars because their lives had been hard since Liao terrorist group arrived on the planet.

"Thank you for your assistance," the mayor of Hastina said to Kyle and Sebastian. "My name is Mayor Systain, and words could not express my gratitude to you. You saved hundreds of lives of my people. We are forever indebted to you. We can replenish your logistic, but don't expect many luxuries. The Zhanzheng deGuang pillaged our town and took our food."

"We are not here to fight the Zhanzheng deGuang," Kyle replied. "Our mission is to take you out of Carver V. This planet had succumbed into anarchy, and we can't recover it. Our only option is evacuation."

"Alright, but we need a day to pack. We are not prepared for this sudden evacuation."

"Bring only important things," Sebastian added. "Leave the rest behind. We have to move fast."

Meanwhile, the Shooting Stars got the first shift of patrol, giving the Cavaliers some time to rest. It had been 2 weeks since the 'Psycho' betrayed his lance and killed 2 lance mates, but Allison still could not get over it. The image of her lance mates exploded in their mechs still gave her nightmares. So Evee and Kangpae took her to a local bar, hoping she could relax a little bit.

"To Matt and Chris!" Evee hoisted her glass in honor of her fallen comrades.

"To Matt and Chris," Allison responded unenthusiastically.

"To Matt and Chris, and Ash," Kangpae added. "May their ghosts haunt the Pshycho forever."

"We need to find out Psycho's background," Evee stated. "Hanson Roughriders were foolish not to do a background check, and we have to pay the price. I mean, how hard is it to check his true identity? He's wanted in several major worlds. He's quite notorious, you know."

"There's no need to do that," Allison sighed. "It won't bring back Matt and Chris."

"You are right, but if we know who he really is and what he wants, we know how to handle him," Evee replied. "We can trick him and eventually avenge Matt and Chris."

"I can't believe 'Psycho' did that," Allison mumbled. "You were totally right, Evee. We can't trust anybody."

"Hey, you know you can trust me," Kangpae interjected. "We've been to hell and back together. You know I will always watch your back."

Allison looked at Kangpae, then at Evee. "I don't know," she said. "I don't know anymore. I think I want to be alone for awhile." She finished her drink and left.

"What? What does that suppose to mean?" Kangpae blurted, but Evee held his hand.

"Let her go," Evee said. "She just lost 3 lance mates. Give her some time to grieve."

"In a sense, I always love her child-like gusto," Kangpae ordered more drinks. "She is the one that always says 'We are all family'. She is incredibly loyal, and it gives me some tranquility in battle, knowing that there is someone that I can count on. It's sad to see her losing her faith."

"I don't blame her," Evee sipped from her glass. "She is close to Matt and Chris, and although she did not know Psycho's background, she still regarded him as her family. Losing them is a hard blow to her faith, especially because the one that she relied on was the one that betrayed her and tried to kill her."

"Yeah, that's true," Kangpae chugged the drink. "What about you, Evee? Do you trust your lance mates?"

"No," Evee replied matter-of-factly. "I've been in similar situation with Allison. My previous lance leader left me behind in the hands of the enemy. From that moment on I realize that I can't expect much from mercenaries. There's no sense of solidarity or dedication, only greed. Not to be disrespectful to you, Kangpae, but it is true."

"Huh!" Kangpae scoffed. "Then why are you here, fighting with us?"

"Like everybody else," Evee leaned back on her chair, "to make money."

"And you expect me to believe you?" Kangpae spited. "There are a lot of safer ways to raise money. You can be a mech trader, buying mechs in one planet and selling it on another. You can be a millionaire in weeks. Or you can fight in Solaris. There's no risk of being gutted by your allies. But instead, you chose the way of a mercenary. Why?"

Evee knew that she could not conceal her secret any longer. "You're right, I am not just raising money. I'm trying to raise an army, too. The man I love is taken _bondsman_ by the Jade Falcon. He did it to himself so I can live. I want to save him, but I don't have enough money to hire a mercenary, so here I am. I know this could take a long time, and Parker might have been dead by the time I have my army, but I don't have any other choice. I owe him my life. I have to try and hope that time is on my side."

Kangpae looked at her without blinking, amazed that a seemingly simple girl like Evee could hold a deep and complicated situation. "I wish I could help."

"Thanks, but this is my battle," Evee chugged the last drop on her glass. "You probably have a battle of your own, don't you Kangpae?"

"Well, if you can call it a battle," Kangpae sighed. "I was a Solaris jock, and a pretty damn good one… OK, not that good, but I got a decent position at a stable, and a very nice girlfriend. Some years ago I got lucky and won the quarterfinal of medium-class championship, but I got overconfident. I lost everything. So I joined the Hanson Roughriders to get more experience."

"So I heard," Evee forged a smile, glancing at her watch. "I think it's our turn to patrol."

"Yeah," Kangpae left some c-bills on the table. "Let's hope we won't lose any more lance mates."

* * *

Next on **Escape from Carver V**

"Four platoons of heavy armor are moving toward Hastina. They're cutting off our path to the pick-up zone."  
"Dropship command, this is Captain Kyle Garret, Shooting Stars. Zhanzheng deGuang had blocked our exit and is moving to Hastina. We have about 200 civilians on our backs, so we can't fight the Capellan terrorists. Request air cover and alternate pick-up zone."  
"That's a negative, Captain. Our air support is spreading thin on the front line. Defend the civilians at all cost, Captain Garret. We'll pick you up at Hastina in 20 minutes."  
"_Demolishers! _They're bringing in the big guns!"  
"The _Demolishers_ can't do anything until 350 meters. Take'em out at range before they can reach us! Everybody, concentrate fire on the _Demolishers_!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter VII **

_**City of Hastina,  
**__**Carver V, Chaos March,  
**__**December 28, 3059**_

The night passed without any incident, and the Shooting Stars and the Cavaliers had sufficient rest. AFFC forces set up a pick-up zone 15 kilometers north of Hastina, so the Shooting Stars and the Knell's Cavaliers had to escort the civilians to rendezvous with Davion dropships. The civilians at Hastina were ready to go, when the Shooting Stars picked up large enemy force going toward Hastina.

"What does CIC say?" Sebastian asked Natalie.

"Four platoons of heavy armor are moving toward Hastina," she responded. "They're cutting off our path to the pick-up zone. How do they know our pick-up zone?"

"Do you forget something?" Sandra Findley huffed. "That damn Psycho's telling the Liao everything! I'll kill him with my bare hands!"

"No, he doesn't know about the pick-up zone," Kyle mused. "That means we still have a leak."

"When I'm going out of here, I'm gonna kill Hanson Roughrider's operatives!" Sebastian growled, his veins bulging out on his neck. "He's putting me with vipers! Captain, do we have reinforcement?"

"It's unlikely, but I'll try," Kyle grabbed the microphone. "Dropship command, this is Captain Kyle Garret, Shooting Stars. Zhanzheng deGuang had blocked our exit and is moving to Hastina. We have about 200 civilians on our backs, so we can't fight the Capellan terrorists. Request air cover and alternate pick-up zone."

"Stand by," the dropship replied, and after three minutes of static, it came back. "That's a negative, Captain. Our air support is spreading thin on the front line. Defend the civilians at all cost, Captain Garret. We'll pick you up at Hastina in 20 minutes."

"Alright, people, dropships will get us out in 20 minutes!" Kyle yelled. "Line up at the city outskirt and kill any terrorist that fall within your weapon range! Mayor Systain, round up your people and wait close to the gantry! I want them on the dropships as soon as they land!"

"Consider it done, Captain!" Systain replied. "Thank you for your help!"

As the civilians ran to the center of town, Evee brought her _Trebuchet_ to the outskirt of Hastina, slowly as not to crush the running civilians. She lined up with Kangpae's _Outbound_ and Daniel's _Hunchback_ as the first line of defense against the incoming Liao force. The Command Lance lined up behind them, sandwiched between Kyle's _Mad Cat_ and the twin _Bushwackers_. She armed her LRM-15's, ready to fire at any enemy that appeared on her radar.

Suddenly an explosion ripped the ground, tossing dirt and rocks into the air. A second later two more explosions rattled the ground, very close to the mech formation.

"They're using Long Tom again!" Sebastian yelled. "Pull back to the city!"

Evee put her mech in reverse, zigzagging under the artillery rain. The superior range of the Long Toms forced the Shooting Stars and Knell Cavaliers to hide behind the buildings. But even after the Davions and mercenaries went deep into the city, the artillery fire did not cease. The Liao kept on their pressure, raining down their Long Tom shells on Hastina. Buildings were blasted one by one, and smoke billowed from the destroyed structures. Evee pushed the radar to maximum, but it only frustrated her because the Long Tom was far beyond the range of her radar.

Suddenly her radar picked up several red dots. Dozens of tanks crept toward Hastina, led by a platoon of _Bulldogs_, then a mixed platoon of LRM carriers, and a lance of _Demolisher_ tanks with a lance of SRM carriers as their escorts.

"_Demolishers!_" Evee screamed on the comlink. "They're bringing in the big guns!"

"They're pinning us in the city with their artillery, and sending the _Demolishers_ to pulverize us at point-blank range," Sebastian analyzed. "We have to find the Long Toms before it's too late!"

"It is too late, Commander!" Kyle rebuked. "The _Demolishers_ can't do anything until 350 meters. Take'em up at range before they can reach us! Everybody, concentrate fire on the _Demolishers_!"

Evee quickly went to work. She lined up her missile to a _Demolisher_ and ran her locking sequence. The slow moving enemy tank thundered the ground. Her radar rang, and she let loose thirty missiles. They arced beautifully over the plain before slamming at and around the _Demolisher_. A brilliant flash blossomed, along with shredded armor and chipped soil. But the hundred-ton monster kept rolling. Evee followed up with her second wave of missiles, twenty of which blasted the tank from every direction, but it would not break down.

"Commander, they won't go down!" Evee exclaimed in panic. "What do I do?"

"Keep shooting!" Sebastian replied. "Wear it down with your missiles! You can't let them close in!"

Evee pumped up more missiles, and two-dozen of them gutted the _Demolisher_ at the rear hull. Smoke billowed from the damaged hull, but still it refused to go down. Three volleys of missiles and the big tank still came toward her. Evee realigned her crosshair when her console screamed in protest. Two LRM launchers sent their entire gamut of missiles at her. She turned hard to the left, but some 40 unfortunate missiles hit her on her torso. The _Trebuchet_ shook up as fire engulfed on the right side of her mech. Evee grasped her joystick as hard as she could, but another shot from a _Bulldog_ ripped her missile launcher on the right torso. Smoke started seeping into the cockpit, and Evee's mech lost half of its firepower.

"I'm hit! I'm hit!" Evee screamed while trying to regain balance.

"Stay still, Evee, I'm coming!" Sandra's voice gave a glint of hope. Evee tried her best to get out of the enemy's line of fire. Sandra Findley came from behind her and fired her PPC trio. The azure bolts sank into the _Demolisher_'s hull. Sparks and burning armor were tossed everywhere, and the tank trembled to sustain the attack. But the thick armor finally gave in, and finally, the stubborn _Demolisher_ exploded into smithereens.

"Thanks Sandra," Evee breathed in relieve, but suddenly gasped when she saw three LRM carriers rained down their missiles at Sandra's _Awesome_. "Sandra! Look out..."

Sandra flinched to the right, but she was a second too late. Dozens of missiles peppered the 80-ton mech, and several unfortunate missiles crushed the _plexiglass_ canopy. Tongues of fire burst from the _Awesome's_ head, spewing bits of metal and flesh. One second later the assault mech reeled to the ground, sending sparks and scorching metal to the air.

"Sandra!!" Sebastian cried out in despair, but nothing he could do to prevent Sandra's death. With newfound wrath Sebastian fired her long-range missiles at the LRM launchers that killed his second-in-command. Sparks and armor splinters flew to every direction as Sebastian's attack skinned one of the LRM carriers for 10 full seconds, before raking the reactor, ending its life in a blinding explosion.

Meanwhile, Evee froze in her mech, watching the last flicker of Sandra's _Awesome_ died. Sandra Findley died saving her. She felt completely useless. It gave her the bitter grasp that unlike her stereotypical opinion about mercenary, her lance mates did have some nobility. Tears gathered on her eyelids. She was stunned, and she could've just stayed there forever if Kangpae didn't awakened her, "Evee! Move! Get out of there!"

"Damn it!" Evee snapped out of her dream and tugged her joystick. Her _Trebuchet_ flinched, missing half a dozen laser strands from the _Bulldogs_. She tottered in her mech to find a refuge under missile and laser rain. She slipped under a rubble pile, followed closely by Kangpae. His _Outbound_ was riddled with scars; some cracks even sprouting sparks.

Suddenly PPCs, Gauss slugs, and missiles whipped across the battlefield from behind the Cavaliers, destroying five Liao tanks in quick succession. Evee looked back and saw two Union-Class dropships descended on the city, FedCom crest bold and contrast on their drab hulls. They fired their guns at the tanks, and for a moment, the Zhanzheng deGuang's formation broke.

"Pull back to the dropship!" Kyle Garret commanded, firing missiles after missiles from his _Mad Cat_. "Get the civilians into one of the dropship and mount up the other! Go!"

Evee followed Kyle's command, pumping her reactor and dashed toward the dropships. Artillery fire flying above her heads, she arrived just as the last civilian trucks rolled into a dropship. The bay door rumbled close, and the engines roared, puffing white smoke and sparks. Wasting no time, Evee led her mech into the dropship, followed by Kangpae and Dan Wilks. Allison was already inside, and the remaining Command Lance followed her into the dropship.

"This is dropship command, we start taking fire from the Liao. Captain Garret, get your men inside. We're taking off in 3 minutes."

"Copy that dropship command. Shooting Stars, make your best speed to the dropship!"

Within 3 minutes, the Shooting Stars had all climbed the ramp into the dropship. Liao tanks and LRM carriers pounded the dropship, but it took off, leaving the empty city of Hastina behind.

* * *

Next on **Escape from Carver V**

"We still leave them on Carver V. We haven't even salvaged their mechs. This mission is too costly for us. Our loss is more than our gain, even with Davion's money."  
"You talk like kids. We're living off a contract, and less lance mates mean more money for you!"  
"So you're just getting happier and happier if more lance mates getting killed in the battlefield. You're just one cold sonofabitch!"  
"That's the life of a mercenary. There's no place for camaraderie, only money."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter VIII**

**_Chapter VIII FCS Farragut, Eagle-Class Frigate, _**  
_**Carver V Recharge Station,  
**__**Chaos March,  
**__**January 2, 3060**_

The pro-Davion citizen from Hastina had been safely transported to _Farragut_, a FedCom frigate that was operating close to Carver V. The captain of the ship had announced that _Farragut_ would jump out of the system. Morale was high, but some still felt queasy because the Knell's Cavaliers would leave behind a number of lance mates without proper burial, the Psycho was still on the loose, and the mole had not been revealed. So Sebastian went to talk with the Shooting Stars, and the rest of the Knell's Cavaliers went to the bar to relax and talk about their situation.

"I'm just happy we're getting out of here," Bill Xander stated, feet up on a table, chugging his scotch. "This campaign is ill-fated from the start. We were just shields for the Shooting Stars down there. How many men we lost? Five! How many men the Shooting Stars lost? None! See what I'm saying?"

"You can't count the Psycho," Evee commented. "He's not deceased. He left us."

"I agree with Bill," Daniel Wilks tuned in. "We accept this job because we thought it was just an evacuation mission. With all the resources we lost, I'd say FedCom should pay us more for hazardous oversight."

"They're not gonna," Kangpae puffed. "It's not their fault that our friend sold us."

"We still leave them on Carver V," Allison bemoaned. "We haven't even salvaged their mechs. This mission is too costly for us. Our loss is more than our gain, even with Davion's money."

"You talk like kids," Jules Hidleman hissed. "We're living off a contract, and less lance mates mean more money for you! What, you haven't learnt arithmetic in your life? You morons!"

"So you're just getting happier and happier if more lance mates getting killed in the battlefield," Daniel rebuked. "You're just one cold sonofabitch!"

"That's the life of a mercenary," Jules replied unenthusiastically. "There's no place for camaraderie, only money."

"You know what I think?" Bill got up and walked toward Jules. "You're right. You're so damn right, you gave up our position to the Liao so they could intercept the Scout Lance. I bet you're working with Psycho. So Ash, Matt, Chris, and Sandra died, and you just pick up the pieces for yourself."

"I was a Davion, and am still a Davion," Jules replied curtly. "Who are you judging me? Your entire life is nothing but a thief, yet you talk like a missionary. I know about you. Redjack Ryan puts a price on your head because you're stealing from him. Once a traitor, always a traitor!"

"Alright, guys, fighting among ourselves will not help us," Evee tried to stop them. "Let's talk with cool heads…"

"I'm done thinking," Bill fizzed. "When this mission is over, I'm getting out. I'm done working with traitors."

"Then this will change your mind," suddenly Sebastian entered the bar, followed by Mayor Systain. "Mayor Systain said that there's an HPG uplink station 30 kilometers south of Hastina. It's hidden in a mountain range, but now that Hastina is swarming with Zhanzheng deGuang, FedCom wants it destroyed before the Liao bastards can use it. They want us to evacuate the crew and destroy the HPG uplink."

"This is too much for such a small amount of money," Daniel protested. "We're not paid well enough."

"I will authorize some bonus from the city fund of Hastina," Systain replied. "The city of Hastina will pay you for each Liao terrorist you destroy. Just take this as a token of our appreciation when you get us out of danger. Unfortunately, we can only support a lance."

"Evee, Allison, I'm sorry but you're out for this one," Sebastian said. "Nothing against you girls, but I just need heavy firepower. Bill, you in?"

"No Sir," Bill Xander replied unenthusiastically. "I'll sit this one out."

"Very well, then. Daniel, Jules, Kangpae, we'll drop off at the site in 20 hours. While the crews pack up and mount explosive on the HPG uplink, you provide cover fire for any possible harm. We'll take off 30 minutes later. If everything goes well, you don't even have to fire your weapons. But if we do engage in fighting, that'll work for your advantage. This is a win-win game for you."

"How can we be sure that nothing will go wrong?" Kangpae asked. "This is supposed to be a simple evacuation mission, but so far we already lost 5 lance mates."

"I know we still have some mole issue," Sebastian drew a long breath. "But it can be anybody. As the commander of the Cavaliers, I will trust you. Just keep your eyes open. However, if you dare to betray my trust, I will crush you. Understand?"

"Yes Sir!" everybody answered in unison.

"Alright then, you have 20 hours. Use it wisely."

As Sebastian and Systain left, Jules left the bar, followed by Kangpae, Daniel, and Allison. Evee saw Bill continued drinking alcohol, and remembered that he was the only one that did not raise his hands. She decided to play a little detective on him, so she sat in front of him and ordered a beer for herself.

"Are you that sick of fighting with this unit?" she popped the bottle. "You passed the opportunity to become twice as rich."

"Sick?" Bill chuckled. "Listen to me girl. I'm a mercenary at heart. I'll fight anything to get money. But I also love myself. I ain't gonna go back to Carver V knowing that one of us is a traitor. I might be greedy but not that greedy. You should be lucky the commander didn't pick you up."

Evee wanted to hit Bill with her bottle, but she refrained. "Is it true that you're wanted by the Redjack Ryan because you stole from him?"

"Why do you ask?" Bill smiled mockingly. "Checking out if I'm the traitor?"

"Are you?"

"Huh! Are you? No one is clean. I am sitting here with you talking about things, but I think you could be the traitor, and I know you are thinking if I'm it. That's why I lost interest in this unit. Once trust is lost, there's nothing to fight for… even when the money is big. "

Once again, Evee was amazed by the depth of individuals in her unit. Even the seemingly greed-driven Bill Xander passed the opportunity to make money because of trust. Bill was right, there was no trust among the mercenaries anymore. Well, she knew Allison was not the traitor, but that was it. Evee finished her bottle, said goodbye to Bill, then went to her bunk to rest.

* * *

Next on **Escape from Carver V:**

"Commander! Commander, are you alright?"  
"My mech's damaged. The gantry was booby-trapped. _Farragut_, this is Sebastian Knell, dropship is out… repeat, dropship is out! Request immediate evacuation! _Farragut_… do you read? Get out of here Kangpae. Save yourself."  
"No! We can signal the FedCom for med-evac. I'm taking you with me."  
"They jammed the transmission. I'm doomed. Leave me and save yourself."  
"With all due respect, Sir, I'm not leaving you alone.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter IX **

_**HPG Station,  
**__**Carver V, Chaos March,  
**__**January 3, 3060**_

The dropship made a final descend at the HPG's landing site. The entire bulk shook, and Kangpae closed his eyes, taking several deep breaths to ease the turmoil in his stomach. He hated this sequence. He spent almost 30 years of his life fighting on Solaris arenas, so he was not used to interstellar travel. He had been getting in and out of dropships since he joined the Hanson Roughriders several years back, but still he had not accustomed to sudden change in gravity force.

He was a fine mech-athlete, far from great, but he did fight some respectable fights. His biggest break was when he substituted a seeded player due to injury five years ago. It was medium mech quarterfinal, and since nobody knew him, nobody paid attention to him. Lucky for him. He sneaked behind the fighting mechs, waiting patiently until any mech was ready to go down, then swooped in for the kill. It was a dirty tactic, but he scored an impressive 4 kills, all were aces, and went on to the semifinal. But it was as far as he could go. The next fight, all mechs focused on him, crushing his _Outbound_ in less than half a minute. It was the fight that prompted him to leave the glamour of Solaris and pursue a new job as a mercenary.

"Finally," Kangpae groaned as the dropship door rumbled open. He pushed his prized _Outbound_ forward, trudging the snow on top of the mountain, and ran it toward the HPG station. His _Outbound_ was based on a _Hoplite_, designed exclusively as Solaris mech, clearly seen on its twin UAC-5 on each arm and an LRM-5 on its left torso. The ammunition dependent mech was never expected to battle in an extended period of time, so Kangpae was a little nervous about taking his unorthodox mech to battle.

"Area secure, Commander," Kangpae reported. "No sign of terrorist operation."

"We can start evacuation, then," Sebastian answered. "HPG Station, this is Sebastian Knell, Knell's Cavaliers. We're here to help you evacuate…"

Before Sebastian could finish his sentence, a huge explosion blasted from the gantry. Two of the dropship engines dissolved into fireballs, and the big Union churned to the side until it was supported by the gantry. The engine fuel leaked into the generator and caught fire. Several chain reactions ripped the dropship from inside, and the mighty Union exploded in a gigantic fireball, illuminating the mountain range.

The shockwave knocked Kangpae down. His _Outbound_ tattered before slumping into the snow. Kangpae yanked his joystick to get his mech standing. Sebastian was walking down the ramp when the dropship erupted. The shockwave knocked him to the ground, and the fiery splinters peeled its armor layer by layer. Sebastian tried to stand, but his _Orion_ was critically damaged by the explosion. Jules Hidleman and Daniel Wilks were not that lucky. They were still inside the dropship when it blasted.

"Commander!" Kangpae dashed toward the smoking _Orion_. "Commander, are you alright?"

"My mech's damaged," Sebastian gasped on the comlink. "The gantry was booby-trapped."

Suddenly the alarm blasted. Several dots appeared on the radar. A squadron of _Yellow Jacket_ helicopters came inbound, firing their Gauss Rifles at Kangpae and Sebastian. Chunks of snow flew in the air as 125-kilogram nickel-ferrous balls slammed into the white plain.

Kangpae's heart drummed in his ear, a sensation he had not felt since the medium circuit semifinal when he realized that all guns in the arena were on him. The Zhanzheng deGuang must have been waiting for the Cavaliers. Once again, somebody leaked the information about this mission. Kangpae cursed, but he knew it was too late. He armed his long range missiles and fired on the nearest _Yellow Jacket_, but the choppers crisscrossed their paths, dancing in the air while stinging the dropship with their Gauss cannons.

"_Farragut_, this is Sebastian Knell, dropship is out… repeat, dropship is out! Request immediate evacuation! _Farragut_… do you read?"

Instead, only static filled the comlink. The choppers pressed their attack, slamming 2 Gauss slugs at Sebastian's torso. Fire burst from the wound, and the _Orion_ fired all its guns to ward off the _Yellow Jackets,_ taking down three. But being severely weakened by the dropship explosion it could not stand the Gauss onslaught. Two more Gauss slugs battered the heavy mech, ripping the arms off and wreaking havoc on the internal structure. Sebastian knew his mech was lost. He pulled the ejection lever, then flew in the air while his _Orion_ started spewing bluish light, a sure sign of reactor failure.

Kangpae locked on a chopper and fired his twin UAC5. Pieces of armor flew in every direction, and an explosion ripped the _Yellow Jacket_ from inside. Kangpae growled as he fired his 5-pack missiles at another chopper, but only 2 made contact. Pieces of armor burst from the impact, but the chopper lingered on. It turned around and unleashed cannon. The slug punched the _Outbound_ in the left torso, creating a swath of scar. The impact rocked his cockpit, but when he tried to regain balance, two more hit put him back on the ground. His left torso was shredded to pieces, and his missile launcher flew several meters when the left torso burst into flames. Armor tracker blinked furiously, screaming critical damage.

But Kangpae wasn't about to go down easily. He put his mech back on its feet and hit the trigger. Another _Yellow Jacket_ roared into a dazzling fireball as his autocannon rounds ripped its hull. The last chopper fired its Gauss cannon, but Kangpae ducked, and the slug flew above his head. As soon as his gun recycled, he hit the trigger. The thunderous boom from his multi-barreled cannon swallowed the sound of explosion when the _Yellow Jacket _spiraled down to the snow and disintegrated into millions of burning metals.

As the threat disappeared, Kangpae exited his mech and dashed toward Sebastian who was lying in the snow. He managed to eject, but he was hit by splinters when the _Orion_ exploded. Blood covered his face and most of his limbs, but he hung on, fighting to live.

"Commander Knell!" Kangpae rushed to aid him. "Commander, are you OK?"

"Get out of here Kangpae," Sebastian coughed, and blood sprayed from his mouth. "Save yourself."

"No! We can signal the FedCom for med-evac. I'm taking you with me."

"They jammed the transmission," Sebastian tried to resist. "I'm doomed. Leave me and save yourself."

"With all due respect, Sir, I'm not leaving you alone. Just hang on."

Kangpae dragged Sebastian toward his mech and carried him into the cockpit. He put him at the small space behind his command seat, then tried to radio _Farragut_. Alas, just like Sebastian said, he could not establish contact with the FedCom ship. He knew that Sebastian needed immediate medical attention, but he was cut off with no means to contact the rest of the team. Without knowing exactly what to do, Kangpae drove his mech to leave the mountain range, trying to find somebody that could help him.

* * *

Next on **Escape from Carver V:**

"The dropship made a safe land on the HPG site by 1435 hours, then disappeared from radar. Reconnection had been tried, but so far none has been established."  
"Commander Knell?"  
"Don't know yet. We haven't been able to communicate with them since the blackout."  
"Jammed transmission?"  
"Hard to tell. The Zhanzheng deGuang has been throwing surprises after surprises, and they are always one step ahead of us. It means somebody is still leaking the information."  
"We have an explosion, Sir! It's one of the civilian's trucks, Sir! The truck exploded! We have damages and fire in sector G, J, K, M, and Q!"  
"The damn traitor is a civilian! All this time we are defending them…"


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter X**

**_Chapter X FCS Farragut, Eagle-Class Frigate,  
_**_**Carver V Recharge Station,  
**__**Chaos March,  
**__**January 3, 3060**_

"Captain Garret, we lost contact with Dropship Number One and the landing force."

The information was brought to the Shooting Stars and the remaining Cavaliers by the ship's tactical officer. Kyle inspected the tactical map of Carver V, frowning in crazed befuddlement that a mission as simple as this could go hairy. "Lost contact? What do you mean by 'lost contact'?"

"The dropship made a safe land on the HPG site by 1435 hours, then disappeared from radar. Reconnection had been tried, but so far none has been established."

"Commander Knell?" Allison asked anxiously. "Is Commander Knell OK?"

"Don't know yet. We haven't been able to communicate with them since the blackout."

"Jammed transmission?" Eric Anderson suggested.

"Hard to tell. The Zhanzheng deGuang has been throwing surprises after surprises, and they are always one step ahead of us. It means somebody is still leaking the information."

"I'm getting sick of this scheme!" Bill grunted. "I'm getting out of here!"

"Nobody leaves!" Kyle yelled and drew his gun. "AFFC made a mistake hiring mercenaries for this sensitive job, and I'm not going to make it worse!"

"Me? Screw you Davions!" Bill drew his guns, but Natalie, Eric, and Miguel all pulled out their sidearm and aimed it at Bill's head. Evee, dazzled and confused, reluctantly drew her own gun and pointed it at Eric, but it was a mere solidarity action. She really didn't know what to do. As a result, Miguel switched target, now aiming at Evee's forehead. Allison could only gasp and freeze.

"Put down your weapons, _hijo de puta_!" Miguel roared.

"You put down your weapons!" Bill replied cockily. "We have a mole in this ship and it ain't me! Might as well you feeding us to the Zhanzheng deGuang!"

"This is Federated Commonwealth ship! Put down your weapons before it is too late!"

But it was too late for the mercenaries. Half a dozen soldiers burst into the command room. Two soldiers sandwiched Allison and escorted her out of the scene, the rest cocked their _Rorynex_ machine gun and shoved the barrels at Bill's and Evee's head. Evee quickly dropped her gun, but Bill was still adamant. He was not discouraged by the soldiers and moved forward, lining up his gun with Kyle's head.

Suddenly the ship quaked hard, knocking down people that were locked in the standoff. Warning sound blared while alarm lights blitzed. Three successive tremor followed up the quake, and there was a twisting, sickening groan of metal as if the ship was crunched underneath a giant foot.

"What is happening?" Kyle sprinted toward the tactical officer. "Are we under attack?"

"We have an explosion, Sir! Bay two… oh no! It's one of the civilian's trucks, Sir! The truck exploded! We have damages and fire in sector G, J, K, M, and Q!"

"The damn traitor is a civilian!" Natalie pointed out. "All this time we are defending them…"

A second quake, much stronger than the first, rocked the ship. Lights went out and sparks burst from the ceiling. The secondary generator kicked in, and smoke seeped into the room. Half of the screen burst.

"Damage report!" Kyle screamed.

"Ammunition storage is set fire, Sir! This ship is sinking! Abandon ship! Abandon ship! Everybody to the lifepod!"

Under the screeching alarm, blitzing light, and shower of sparks, everybody sprinted toward the lifepods. They soon joined hundreds of ship crews and civilians that raced for their lives, stuffing themselves into the pods out of the dying ship. But to their horror, half of the lifepods had been destroyed by the explosions. Civilians quickly scrambled the remaining pods, while others cried and screamed in panic as the bitter realization came to their mind. They were stranded in space inside a burning ship.

"We're gonna die, are we?" Allison blubbered in panic. "We're gonna die!"

"Calm down Allison!" Evee tried to suppress her anxiety. "There must be a way to escape!"

"They still have dropships in the adjacent bay!" Bill pointed out. "That's our escape!"

"But bay two is on fire! How do we get into the dropship?" Evee asked.

"I don't know, but if you want to stay here, be my guest!"

Evee didn't have a choice. She followed Bill, grabbing Allison's hand. Others saw them running toward the other bay, and they followed the three. When they came at bay two, they realized that there were not one but two dropships, enough for everybody. But fire raged out of control, and it was impossible to reach the dropship.

"I'll get my mech," Bill said, and like a reckless teen jumped into the fire and sprinted toward his mech. He stripped his burning clothes and quickly jumped into the elevator, hoisting him up to the cockpit of his _Quickdraw_. He got in the cockpit and started the 60-ton mech. Using his mech's arms, Bill moved some debris, creating a bridge from the door toward the dropships.

"How the hell did he do that?" Natalie was spooked.

"If we all get out of here alive, ask him yourself, because I don't know," Evee replied.

"Alright, get your mechs to dropship on the right and get everybody else to dropship on the left! This ship's gonna blow any second!" Kyle quickly took control of the situation. "Go!"

As the civilians storm the dropship, Evee and Allison sprinted toward their respective mechs. The temperature spiked the heat level to orange, but they paced their mechs as fast as they could. The Shooting Stars followed two steps behind him, and the ship's crew quickly took control of the dropship's consoles. The dropships started up, and everybody had been secured in the dropships. Everybody except Bill and his _Quickdraw_.

As the big mech stepped on the ramp of the dropship, a huge explosion ripped the hangar. The FCS _Farragut_ broke into two parts, and the _Quickdraw_ was thrown into the space, into eternal void.

"No! Bill!" Evee cried out, reaching out her mech's hand in an attempt to grab Bill, but it was too late. The _Quickdraw_ spun in the dark space, and the image of the 60-ton mech diminished as the dropship's door rumbled close. The dropship quaked and blasted off, leaving the dying ship, and flew toward Carver V. But Evee wished she were out there instead of Bill. She didn't feel she deserved the luxury, but Bill certainly did. It was almost surreal, thinking about the fact that Bill was an ex pirate. But it might be the reason why Redjack Ryan put so much money on Bill's head. The honorable deed Bill made didn't fit well with Ryan's judgment.

Evee would never know.

* * *

Next on **Escape from Carver V:**

"Here's the situation: we are alone in Carver V. We are cut off, and I think it's unwise to ask for help at this moment. We still don't know who did this mess. If he is still with us, he'll know about the reinforcement. Soon enough Zhanzheng deGuang will come to us, guns blazing."  
"I understand. Do you have a plan?"  
"For now, the dropships are still the best place for the civilians, until I have a report from my lance. I want you, Allison, and Kangpae to guard the civilians. Don't let anything come close to them. Can you do that?"  
"I'm scared. Are we going to make it, Captain?"  
"We have to. We will survive. You have to believe it and make it happen."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter XI**

_**City of Kangka,  
**__**Carver V, Chaos March,  
**__**January 3, 3060**_

Evee looked through the window as the dropships landed on the outskirt of Kangka, a war-torn city on Carver V. The mangled skyscrapers were the only witness of the city's once glamour, now swept away by the winds of war. Rubbles and vehicles scattered in the city. Light smoke still billowed from places, but there was no life in the ruins.

She wondered if she would ever see Parker again. A rare breed of a Clan warrior, he quickly struck her heart the first time they met, and he put her life above everything else, including his own. But when she thought she had found her soul mate, he was robbed from her. She thought this was the time he needed her most, so she joined this mercenary company. But the seemingly easy job had turned into a disaster, dragging her lower and lower into the abyss of Carver V. Her hope started to fade, along with her lance mates. The traitor had never been revealed, and Evee was skeptical if she would ever find out who it was.

"Excuse me, I need to speak with the Cavalier's ranking officer."

Evee glanced over her shoulder and saw Captain Kyle Garret standing close to her. His eyes were fatigued, but his face showed that he would take this mission as far as it would go. Kyle's composure gave her the spirit that she desperately needed. She got up to meet the FedCom officer.

"I've never gone through proper military training," Evee replied. "Allison was a Lyran soldier. She'll make a better commander than I will."

"I spoke to her, and she's in a worse state-of-mind than you are. She hasn't fully recovered from the incident at Ayodya. I'd rather speak to you."

Evee knew what it meant. With the Cavalier's chain of command virtually wiped out, she was the only warrior capable of getting out of the trouble. It was a realization she wished she would never had.

"Then I guess I'm the Cavalier's ranking officer," Evee replied, fighting hard to conceal the tremble in her voice. "What can I do, Captain?"

"Let's talk about our situation," Kyle took a seat in front of her. "My lance is scouting the city. It's supposed to be safe for the civilians to take refuge. If there are some armed forces in the city, they're only local militias. I'll negotiate with them. But here's the situation: we are alone in Carver V. We are cut off, and I think it's unwise to ask for help at this moment. We still don't know who did this mess. If he is still with us, he'll know about the reinforcement. Soon enough Zhanzheng deGuang will come to us, guns blazing."

"I understand," Evee replied. "Do you have a plan?"

"For now, the dropships are still the best place for the civilians, until I have a report from my lance. If it's safe enough, I'll move the civilians to the city. I want you, Allison, and Kangpae to guard the civilians. Don't let anything come close to them. But don't talk to them. We know that the traitor is hiding among the civilians. Do that, and my lance will take care of the rest. Can you do that?"

"Yeah," Evee replied hesitantly. "Yes, of course."

"You don't sound so sure," Kyle said. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm alright," Evee lied between her teeth, but the intense feeling started to swell up, soaking her lids with tears. "I'm scared. Are we going to make it, Captain?"

"We have to," Kyle said firmly. "We will survive. You have to believe it and make it happen."

"I can't!" Evee exploded into tears. For the next 10 minutes, she tearfully told Kyle everything that led up to the moment. Sometimes she was too overwhelmed to continue, she had to stop to cry her eyes out. "I miss Parker. If he were here, he'd bring me out of this mess. Now he needs me, and I can't even take care of my own self! I'm such a useless mess."

"You are what you believe you are," Kyle responded. "If you believe you're a useless mess, then you are a useless mess. If you believe you are Cavalier's leader that will bring yourself, your lance mate, and 200 civilians out of this hellhole, then that's what you are. Believe, Evee. It will happen."

"You're right," Evee wiped her face, drying it up from her tears. "Sorry, I don't mean to do that…"

"Are you feeling better?"

Evee forced a smile. "Much better. Thanks, Captain."

"Anytime," Kyle said, just as his comlink rang. "This is Kyle. Give me sitrep."

"The city's clean, Cap'n," Eric Anderson reported. "No sign of major military power, only a handful of Marik supporters. We talked to them, and they said they had no quarrels with us Davions. We can stay. But guess what we found in the city… Commander Knell."

"Sebastian?" Kyle frowned. "How is he?"

"Busted up like hell, Sir. I don't think he will survive this day."

"We'd better get down and meet him before it's too late," Kyle rushed to the door. Evee followed him to the hangar and mounted her _Trebuchet_. As soon as Kyle brought his _Mad Cat_ out of the dropship, Evee followed him. They entered the city and regrouped with the rest of the Shooting Stars. A nice surprise greeted her when she saw Kangpae's _Outbound_ among the Shooting Stars. It was riddled with cracks, but anyway intact.

When they arrived at the scene, they quickly exited their mechs and entered a building. Sebastian lied on a bench, encircled by the Shooting Stars, Kangpae, and a couple of locals. Upon seeing her, he stretched his bloody lips into a smile and wheezed, "Get them out of here, Evee. All survivors."

"It's still your unit, Sir," Evee put her hand on Sebastian's shoulder. "I'll be glad to follow your orders."

"It's yours now, lass," Sebastian smiled and coughed. "Get them out…"

Evee was about to open her mouth, but Sebastian coughed and spasmed, then laid still. She knew he'd gone. She grabbed his hands as a final farewell, then looked at Kangpae. She could only imagine what kind of hell Kangpae went through, getting ambushed by the Zhanzheng deGuang in sub-zero environment, then climbed down the mountain with the dying commander. For a moment, she felt that Kangpae was the better man to lead the Cavaliers, not her.

"Hey, I fight games in Solaris," Kangpae flinched, as if he knew what Evee was implying. "I know nothing about commanding a unit. You tell me what to do and I'll do it."

So there she was, unanimously anointed to carry on a dying man's last wish. Once again, her heart sank to the very bottom. But she remembered what Kyle said. And he was just offering her a handshake, big smile on his lips. "When we get out of here, I'll authorize a hazardous oversight bonus to double up your payment. I'll spread the words about your gallantry, that even in the worst situation, you still stick to your objective."

Evee accepted Kyle's hand. "Thank you, Captain. The Ridinghood Cavaliers work under you command."

* * *

Next on **Escape from Carver V:**

"Miss Ridinghood. Once again I would like to express my gratitude for the Cavaliers and the Shooting Stars for defending us."  
"Thank you, Mayor. It is hard, but we will make it. We will get you out of Carver V."  
"It's a shame that a bright girl like you is being abused by the Davions. I'll tell you what… Tonight, when it's your turn to watch, just walk north."  
"The Zhanzheng deGuang will attack us from the south. Move the dropships to the southern perimeter. I want to use them as turrets."  
"But if they're destroyed, we're stranded here for a very long time. It's easier if we just get into the dropship and move someplace else while waiting for pickup."  
"No, I'm done running. We end this tonight."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter XII**

_**City of Kangka,  
**__**Carver V, Chaos March,  
**__**January 4, 3060**_

Kyle successfully negotiated with the Marik-supporters from Kangka. Although the Free-World League helped the Capellan Confedaration invading Sarna March in 3057, it was the Zhanzheng deGuang that destroyed most of Carver V infrastructure. The people of Kangka agreed to help Hastina civilians and fight the Zhanzheng deGuang if necessary, if they could claim all the salvage from the battle. It was a high price, but Kyle did not see any other way.

So the pro-Marik civilians nurtured the pro-Davion civilians at their houses, providing them with food and places to sleep. The pro-Marik civilians had three _Scorpion_ tanks and some handheld missile launchers. The Shooting Stars gave them more missile launchers with their hi-tech ammunitions. Kyle assigned Evee and the Cavaliers to guard the civilians, while the Shooting Stars tried to figure out a way to get out of Carver V.

While nothing seemed to happen in the last 24 hours, Evee tried to keep her focus on the civilians. The traitor had not been found, and now the pro-Marik and pro-Davion masses were blended in, it was possible that he would try another attempt to hurt the Davions. She made it her personal responsibility that it would never happen. So she ordered Allison and Kangpae to raise their guard and keep a tight watch on the civilians.

"Miss Ridinghood," Mayor Systain approached her while she was collecting food and water. "Once again I would like to express my gratitude for the Cavaliers and the Shooting Stars for defending us."

"That's our job, Mayor," Evee replied. "We will get you out of here safe and sound, that's a promise."

"I agree," Systain said. "And I especially want to express my condolences. You lost a lot of friends. I can't imagine being in your place, losing friends and taking up responsibilities and all."

"Thank you, Mayor. It is hard, but we will make it. We will get you out of Carver V."

"You're brave for a girl your age," Systain sighed. "How could you end up here?"

Evee found it strange that the mayor was interested in her. She started feeling weird, but she remembered what Kyle said about the traitor, and she decided to play along with Systain.

"Well, I was young and stupid," she coined desperation. "I read the stories of many mercenaries, and I want to be like them. You know, quick fame and money. But I think I made a wrong choice. Hanson Roughriders is not a good unit. They made contract with lousy patrons. Look at Captain Kyle Garret. I think he's using us as shields. The Cavaliers suffered 85-percent casualties, while the Shooting Stars hardly had scratches on their mechs. They let us take the bullets, and when there's none of us left, they'll take the credit."

"I feel for you, girl," Systain tapped her shoulder. "If you see a simpler way, would you take it?"

"I don't see if it's possible, mayor, but I'll do anything to get out of this contract."

"I see," Systain paused to clear his throat. "I feel the same way. It's a shame that a bright girl like you is being abused by the Davions. I'll tell you what… Tonight, when it's your turn to watch, just walk north. You'll find a town. Show my card to the guards," Systain handed in a card with Liao crest and a barcode. "They'll take you to Acamar, where you can hitchhike a jumpship to any world you like. It's the best gift I can give you for taking care of me and my people."

"What about you?" Evee tried to be calm despite her spiking anxiety. "And what about the Shooting Stars? If Kyle Garret sees me walking away, he'll kill me."

"No," Systain smiled. "Trust me. Now listen to me carefully. We will not meet again, so everything it's up to you. If you do as I suggested you do, you'll get out of Carver V safely, but you'll lose the money and you may never work for any mercenary unit again. If you choose to stay with Garret, you'll get your money and an abundance of fame, but may lose your life. I believe you are wise enough to see your future, Miss Ridinghood."

"Then I spread the words to my crew," Evee said. "Once again, thank you for this help."

"Glad to help," Systain grinned. "I'm glad we talked."

"Same here," Evee forced a smile. She waited until Systain went around the building, then she rushed to an empty building. She drew her personal comlink and contacted Kyle, "Captain Garret, this is Evee Ridinghood. It's Systain. He's possibly a Liao double ag…"

Before she could finish her sentence, two loud bangs echoed, and she felt terrible pain stung her body. One bullet stabbed her just below her shoulder blade and exited right above her right breast, the other one hit her right arm. An agonizing cry escaped her lips as she slumped to the ground, coughing blood as she tried to get some air. She dragged her body to retrieve the comlink, but a big boot squashed it before she could reach it.

"Stupid bitch!" Systain hissed. "All you have to do is walk! But you think you can outsmart me, don't you? I know you were lying from the start, Miss Ridinghood. I am trained to tell lies from your body language. I know you never intend to betray the Shooting Stars!"

"You heartless pig," Evee wheezed. "Why? You're killing your own people. Why?"

"They are enemies to the Chancellor of Capellan Confederation, Sun Tzu Liao!" Systain cocked his gun. "Anybody that opposes the Chancellor must die, just like you are…"

Suddenly the room was filled with blasts. A dozen bullets carved Systain's torso, punching holes from his back and exited from the front. Blood rained down on Evee as Systain squirmed, then careened to the ground. He was dead long before his head grazed the dirt.

"Evee!" Natalie rushed to help her. "Hang on!" She checked Evee's wounds. "Two exit wounds, one on the chest, one on the arm. She has a punctured lung. We have to move her out of here."

"Evee, this is very important," Kyle crouched beside her. "What did Systain tell you? What did he want?"

"He want me to walk… north… when it's my turn to watch," Evee gasped. "Captain…"

"No, I'm not doing you any favor," Kyle grabbed her hand. "You will get better. You will get out of Carver V, and you will meet Parker again. Don't give up. We're here with you."

"Kyle, we have to move her," Natalie said.

"Right. Stay with her and do whatever you can to save her," Kyle tapped Natalie's shoulder. "Our darkest hour will come, and we need her. Eric, stay with her for a while."

"Walk north," Miguel mused. "What does it mean? I understand why Systain wanted her to leave us, but why north?"

"It means the Zhanzheng deGuang will attack us from the south," Kyle rattled his teeth. "Miguel, move the dropships to the southern perimeter. I want to use them as turrets."

"But if they're destroyed, we're stranded here for a very long time," Miguel said. "It's easier if we just get into the dropship and move someplace else while waiting for pickup."

"No, I'm done running," Kyle replied, rubbing his right fist with his left palm. "We end this tonight."

* * *

Next on **Escape from Carver V**: 

"How are you feeling, Evee?"  
"I'm fine. I can stay awake for another hour or two."  
"I wish there's another way. But we need every good men."  
"I understand, Captain. In case I don't make it, then it's a privilege fighting with you."  
"The honor is mine, Evee. We'll finish this, or die trying."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter XIII**

_**City of Kangka,  
**__**Carver V, Chaos March,  
**__**January 5, 3060**_

The night was cold and quiet, but it felt steamy in the _Trebuchet's_ cockpit. Evee leaned back on her chair, taking deep breaths once in a while. It was 14 hours after she was shot by Mayor Systain, and although the Shooting Stars did a very good job patching up her wound, she lost a lot of blood. Her head spun and her eyes were swollen. Sweat beaded on her forehead, although she had not fired her guns yet. She wished she were in bed.

But she could not rest yet. Zhanzheng deGuang knew their position, and they would launch an attack. She guessed this attack would wipe out the Shooting Stars and the Cavaliers. But Captain Garret had another plan. He used the two Union dropships as turrets. The dropships were equipped with awesome firepower. He wanted to disrupt the formation of the Zhanzheng deGuang, then launch an all-out attack. Should this plan work, it would deliver a crushing blow to the Zhanzheng deGuang, and Kyle estimated the terrorists would leave the Davions alone.

"How are you feeling, Evee?" Kyle asked while lined up his _Mad Cat_ beside the _Trebuchet_.

"I'm fine," Evee replied weakly. "I can stay awake for another hour or two."

"I wish there's another way," Kyle sighed. "But we need every good men."

"I understand, Captain. In case I don't make it, then it's a privilege fighting with you."

"The honor is mine, Evee. We'll finish this, or die trying."

Suddenly the comlink crackled with an arrogant voice. "Attention Davion defenders. This is Sang-Wei Wu Kan, leader of Zhanzheng deGuang 1st Armor Company. You are surrounded, there is no way to escape. I give you 5 minutes to lay down your weapon and surrender. If I don't hear anything in 5 minutes, I'll rain down my power and kill you all!"

"An armor company wants to fight us," Kyle replied in mockery. "You underestimate us, Sang Wei. Give us your best shot! We aren't going anywhere."

"Brave words, Davions, but prove little. This is your final warning. Lay down your weapon and surrender, or suffer the consequences."

"Don't waste your time, terrorist! Just show yourself so I can kick your ass!"

"Very well, Davions! Prepare to die!"

As soon as the connection cut off, artillery started raining down on the city of Kangka. Explosions rattled the ground as the Liao terrorists pummeled the city without mercy, disregarding the fact that there were more than 500 civilians. Fire raged on the city as buildings collapsed. Fortunately, the pro-Marik civilians had several bunkers underneath the city. The artillery, though destroyed most of the city, failed to destroy the bunkers.

"Allison, find those Long Toms!" Evee commanded. "You should spot their muzzle flash easily at night."

"Roger that," Allison replied quickly and paced her _Fire Hawk_ into the darkness.

Meanwhile, the Zhanzheng deGuang moved their forces closer and closer to the city. Two platoons of LRM missiles, two platoons of _Bulldogs_, and one platoon of _Demolishers_ rolled in tight formation. They spotted the two Union dropships and started hitting them using their missiles, while the Long Toms continued hitting the city.

"Captain, we're taking fire from the missile launchers," the dropship captain reported. "Five lances of armor are heading our way. Weapons are online. We have them on our crosshair. Permission to open fire, Sir."

"Kill them all, dropships!" Kyle ordered. "Shooting Stars, fire at will!"

Missiles leapt from the _Mad Cat's_ boxy launchers, followed by the _Bushwackers_, accompanying the Gauss slugs and PPC bolts from the dropships. Several LRM carriers and _Bulldogs_ erupted in colorful flashes, illuminating the dark night. Evee locked on a _Bulldog_ and fired her missile launchers in unison. The missiles arced in the air before slamming into the tank, and with a blinding explosion the _Bulldog_ came to a crashing halt. The dropships concentrated fire on the _Demolishers_ and let loose their PPCs. Three consecutive strikes made the 100-ton tank glow in red before exploded in a brilliant fireball.

Suddenly several red dots appeared on Evee's rear flank. A squadron of _Yellow Jacket_ helicopters came from behind. They fired their Gauss rifle at the dropships. Smoke started to rise from the dropships.

"_Yellow Jackets_ inbound from the north!" Evee proclaimed. "I'll get them. Kangpae, form up on me!"

Crisscrossing their path to dodge the artillery fire, Evee and Kangpae sprinted on the ravaged pavement, cutting off the helicopter's path before they got into range and hitting the Shooting Stars from behind. The choppers assumed attack formation when Evee's locking mechanism rang. She hit the trigger that sent 15 missiles to the nearest _Yellow Jacket_. The chopper used its speed to elude the missiles, but Evee lit up her other missile launcher on her left arm. Fire belched as the missiles ripped its internal structures. The _Yellow Jacket_ gunboat bled fire from its back, then burst into flames.

"Yeah!" Evee chimed. "Kangpae, send them all to hell!"

"With pleasure!" Kangpae aligned his crosshair to one of the chopper when two of them broke formation and fired their Gauss rifle. Kangpae ducked, but one slug hit him on the left torso. The _Outbound_ staggered hard as armor flew in every direction, setting up major fire on its hull. Kangpae cursed on the comlink, then realigned his crosshair. He mashed the trigger, and his UAC5's roared, sending streams of munitions at one of the chopper. The _Yellow Jacket_ jerked and rolled before slamming into a building.

Evee raised her right arm and let loose a barrage of lasers at another chopper. Her quick attack took out the chopper, gutting its hull and sending it limping to the ground. But another _Yellow Jacket_ took a good aim at her, and before she could react, the chopper scored a perfect hit on her center torso. Warning sign blared in her cockpit as her mech jerked behind, crashing into an empty apartment building. Evee felt a mighty sting on her chest as the _Trebuchet_ tumbled on top of debris. The pain overtook her senses, and for a moment, she laid down motionless.

"Capellan scumbags! Eat my lead!" Kangpae yelled and pumped his UAC's. The shells cut off the tail of a _Yellow Jacket_. The chopper instantly whirled into the ground, expanding in a fireball as it crashed into the hard paved road. The remaining two fired their guns in unison. Kangpae gritted his teeth as the nickel-ferrous slugs smashed into his right torso, ripping it apart. The UAC ammunition feeder exploded, destroying the entire right torso and the short-barreled cannon. Kangpae was tossed from side to side as his _Outbound_ rocked.

"Is that your best shot, scumbags?" he grimaced in pain, but refused to give up. "My turn!" He fired his missiles straight into a _Yellow Jacket's_ midst. The 5-pack missiles failed to bring down the chopper, but they managed to punch through the armor and incinerate the engine. Thick cloud of smoke burst from the engine, and the chopper was forced to leave the battlefield.

However, the other one sacked a murderous hit at his torso. Sparks burst from the console, and the _Outbound_ careened to the ground. Steam and coolant seeped from several cracks along the body, and Kangpae knew his mech could not withstand another shot. He targeted the _Yellow Jacket_, but a horde of missiles rose up from the ground, shredding the chopper in a fiery explosion.

"Thanks, Evee," he sighed in relief, then realized that Evee was still lying on the ground. "Are you OK?"

"I'm hurt," Evee moaned, gasping for air as her pain gnawed on her chest. "Get me out of here."

"Coming up!" Kangpae exited her battered mech and rushed toward the _Trebuchet_. He opened the hatch and gently freed Evee from her command couch. She whimpered as he heaved her out of her mech.

"Shh… It's over," Kangpae soothed her. "We got them choppers. You'll be alright."

* * *

Next on **Escape from Carver V:**

"You should've taken my advice when you got a chance, Allison. You're a great kid with a bright future. Too bad you made the wrong choice."  
"I made the right choice. Better die with these warriors than live with a filth like you, Psycho!"  
"Stupid fool! You just don't know how to survive in a war."  
"You will not get away with this, traitor! The Shooting Stars will get you!"  
"If you think the Davions care about you, you're sadly mistaken! You, me, we are all expendables in their eyes. Now die!"  
"Go to hell, you treacherous scum!"


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter XIV**

_**City of Kangka,  
**__**Carver V, Chaos March,  
**__**January 5, 3060**_

Meanwhile, the integrated attack from the Shooting Stars and the dropships had wiped out half of the attacking force. Two _Demolishers_, three _Bulldogs_, and five LRM carriers fired lied destroyed on the outskirt of Kangka. The remaining force kept on moving forward, although some of them had already spurting smoke.

To help with the force, the Long Tom shifted their targets, now blasting the two Davion dropships. Fire and smoke adorned the dropships, and two direct hits ripped a dropship apart. Tongues of fire licked from the hull, and five seconds later, the dropship exploded like a giant sun, lighting up the battlefield with its orange light for a full 20 seconds.

"Allison, silence the Long Toms… now!" Kyle yelled. "Dropship command, what's your status?"

"This is dropship command, we have heavy damage! We're going down! We're… Argh!"

The second dropship blasted, sending myriads of splinters into the air. The Shooting Stars were forced to break formation to elude splash damage. Without the dropships, they had no choice but to fight the Zhanzheng deGuang head on.

"This is it, guys!" Kyle yelled as he brought his _Mad Cat_ running full speed. "Hit them where it hurts!"

Bullets, beam streaks, missiles and explosions painted the dark cold night as Kyle's _Mad Cat_ mowed down two _Bulldogs_ in quick succession. He cartwheeled left and right to dodge missiles and artilleries, then lined up with a _Demolisher_ tank. He ignored missiles blasts from 2 LRM carriers and launched his missiles at the 100-ton tank. The slow tank staggered under the assault, but it shrugged the attack and fired its twin autocannon. Kyle flinched, but one of the shells hit his left missile launcher. The box erupted like a volcano, almost toppling the _Mad Cat_.

"Die, Liao freak!" Eric came and fired his autocannon at the _Demolisher_. The shells pumped up splinters of armor and internal structures, and the tank caught fire. It swung its torso to hit Eric's _Bushwacker_, but Miguel and Natalie came from the opposite direction, unloading their ammunition at the tank's broad side. The armor caved in, and the _Demolisher_ blasted in brilliant flares.

On the other side, Allison sprinted blindly on the darkness, trying to find the Long Tom artillery units. She heard about the dropships, and she was hard-pressed to find the Liao artillery before it was too late. She put her radar to maximum and opened her eyes, trying to locate the muzzle flash of the mighty guns. She climbed up a hill for a better view, and there, she spotted them. Five units of Long Tom hiding behind a hill, firing rounds after rounds of shells at the city of Kangka.

"Captain Garret, I got them! Five Long Toms at coordinate…"

"Silence them, Allison!" Kyle responded. "They shouldn't be too hard to knock down."

"On my way!" Allison throttled up, pushing her _Fire Hawk_ into a sprint. She cleared the hill and ran straight to the artillery compound. Crews and troops started running in panic as soon as they realized that their position had been found. Allison put the crosshair on an ammunition truck when he spotted another mech standing close to the _Long Toms_. Her blood surged with vengeance when she realized it was a _Jenner_. Psycho's _Jenner_.

"You should've taken my advice when you got a chance, Allison. You're a great kid with a bright future. Too bad you made the wrong choice." Psycho's voice reverberated on the comlink.

"I made the right choice," Allison hissed. "Better die with these warriors than live with a filth like you, Psycho!"

"Then go to hell!" Psycho yelled and fired his missiles. Allison ducked, missing some of the missiles above her head. One second later the hill behind her exploded. Allison stepped back, aiming at the hull of a Long Tom, then fired her medium pulse lasers. Ruby streaks stabbed a Long Tom at the ammunition feeder. The long-barreled cannon exploded, killing half of its crews as they tried to escape. The shockwave knocked some ammunition trucks, incinerating the cargo. A chain explosion ensued, taking down two Long Tom cannons in one quick succession. Burning debris rained down on the complex, and the crews quickly abandoned the remaining Long Tom cannons.

Psycho poured down his missiles at Allison. Allison dodged the rushed shot easily, then punched her trigger, spearing Psycho's _Jenner_ with her medium lasers. The ruby streaks cut a gash on the _Jenner's_ left arm. Psycho returned fire, and an emerald bolt fried several myomer strings on the _Fire Hawk's_ leg. Allison could smell burning myomer in the cockpit. She backpedaled; taking refuge behind a wrecked building.

Psycho fired his laser again and scored a good snipe at Allison's left torso. The _Fire Hawk's_ torso blazed like hell, and the fire spread close to the reactor, but Allison was too stubborn to eject. She twisted back and fired her SRM-6 at the _Jenner's_ face. The 35-ton mech swayed from the sudden loss of balance. Psycho blasted his jump jets and flew some 100 meters. He fired his missiles, and two of them mauled Allison's left arm. Allison winced as her _Fire Hawk's_ left arm breached. She grasped her joystick hard to keep her mech standing.

"Stupid fool!" Psycho roared while lining up his cannons at Allison's midst. "You are a good soldier, Allison, but you just don't know how to survive in a war."

"You will not get away with this, traitor!" Allison hissed. "The Shooting Stars will get you!"

"Yeah? If you think the Davions care about you, you're sadly mistaken!" Psycho grazed his trigger. "You, me, we are all expendables in their eyes. Now die!"

The beams lanced the _Fire Hawk_ in a murderous streak but Allison dropped her mech before firing all her guns at the _Jenner_. Three streaks busted deep into the cockpit, evaporating Psycho instantly.

"Tell Matt and Chris you're sorry!" Allison bellowed. "Then go to hell, you treacherous scum!"

Meanwhile, losing their artillery support, the Zhanzheng deGuang lost their confidence. Their formation broke and half of the remaining tanks turned their backs and started to run for their lives. The tanks that were bold enough to continue the battle were quickly dispatched by the Shooting Stars. Kyle lost one arm and one missile launcher. Eric's _Bushwacker_ was limping badly after his left leg was blasted by a _Bulldog_. Natalie's _Loki_ lost both arms, and Miguel's _Bushwacker_ was burning. But they emerged victorious after Kyle stomped on the last LRM carrier that continued to fight, despite the inevitable outcome.

"_Si, vete al infierno, anos!_" Miguel chimed. "Permission to pursue the enemies, _Capitan!_"

"Negative, Miguel, stand down!" Kyle held him back. "Let the little ones go. We have more things to take care of. Cavaliers, how are you holding up?"

"This is Allison, Liao's Long Toms had been neutralized. They left three cannons intact!"

"This is Kangpae, Evee is subdued but otherwise alive."

"Good job, guys. Miguel, help Allison to bring the Long Tom cannons to the city and give them to the Marik supporters. Natalie, Kangpae, search the area and salvage everything you can. Eric, stay with the civilians. Next time the Zhanzheng deGuang comes back to this city, we'll strike them with their own weapons!"

"Yes Sir!" everybody replied in unison, relieved that the nightmare was finally over.

* * *

Next on **Escape from Carver V:**

"With all due respect, Sir, from now on the Ridinghood Cavaliers is not affiliated to Hanson Roughriders anymore."  
"What? You want to go segregate from us? You are bound under contract with Hanson Roughriders! You cannot separate from us, unless you buy off the contract! But looking at your condition, there's no way in hell you can do that!"  
"My contract is with Knell's Cavaliers, Sir, not Hanson Roughriders. Since the Knell's Cavaliers is currently defunct, I am free to go wherever I want to go. And for the record, I'm keeping the money. If you want to challenge my decision, we can settle this matter at MRBC."  
"Fine! But watch your back, Evee Ridinghood! We may cross path someday, and when we do, I'll make sure the Hanson Roughriders crush you to the last man!"  
"I'll be waiting."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter XV**

_**City of Kangka,  
**__**Carver V, Chaos March,  
**__**January 20, 3060**_

Just like Kyle expected, the battle on January 5 delivered a huge moral blow to the Zhanzheng deGuang. They knew that the Shooting Stars and the Cavaliers were badly damaged and low on ammunition, but they never came back. Natalie and Kangpae managed to salvage an abundance of weapons, which Kyle gave to the pro-Marik civilians of Kangka in honor of their agreement. Allison discovered a newfound spirit as a mechwarrior after she avenged the death of Matt Mamias and Chris Fulton. And Evee healed swiftly, although the standard medical kits of the Shooting Stars were not adequate to treat gunshot wounds for extended period of time.

The Shooting Stars and the Cavaliers stayed in Kangka for two more weeks, until FedCom Task Force 341 arrived. Two Union dropships mounted the pro-Davion civilians and the Shooting Stars. Another dropship, a Leopard, landed for the Cavaliers. The Leopard was not FedCom's, but an independent transporter that Kyle chartered to bring the Cavaliers to Outreach.

"With your help, the civilians will soon find a new home in Davion space, far from Liao's incursion," Kyle said to Evee. "They've seen enough violence, so hopefully they can resume their lives as normal people. This is when we go our ways, Evee. You'll find your bank account with double the money we promised before."

"Very much appreciated, Captain," Evee nodded, a smile adorned her face. "I don't know many patrons in my life, but you're the best patron I've ever worked for."

"Likewise," Kyle offered his hand. "If I ever need a mercenary unit in the future, the Ridinghood Cavaliers is my first choice."

"You know where to find me," Evee grabbed Kyle's hand in a warm shake. "Goodbye, Captain Garret."

"Goodbye, Commander Ridinghood," Kyle smiled, then walked toward the Davion dropships to regroup with his unit.

"So… that's it for this contract," Allison quipped. "We're the only ones left."

"I can't believe everybody's gone," Kangpae tuned in. "What do we do now, Chief?"

"Something I always want to do," Evee replied. "But first, we have to go back to Outreach to debrief."

_**  
Hanson Roughriders Representative,  
**__**Harlech, Outreach,  
**__**March 18, 3060**_

"The mission was an outstanding success," the Hanson Roughriders' representative debriefed Evee, Allison, and Kangpae. "You earned twice the amount of money than you were promised. That never happened in Hanson Roughriders history. We are very impressed by your performance. We did lost good guys out there, but it's minor compared to the fame."

"They're humans, Sir," Evee interjected. "At least show them some respect."

"You don't have time to mourn, Miss Ridinghood," the man ignored her plea. "Your reputation skyrocketed because the Davions speak highly of you. Three potential employers had contacted us, asking you to do extended campaigns. These are big money opportunity. Hanson Roughriders will replenish your unit. You'll have fresh graduates for reinforcement, but with your experience, you won't have trouble managing the rookies."

Against everybody's expectation, Evee said, "With all due respect, Sir, from now on the Ridinghood Cavaliers is not affiliated to Hanson Roughriders anymore."

"What?" the Hanson Roughriders representative roared. "You want to go segregate from us? You damn fool! You think you can survive without our sponsorship?"

"I take my chances, Sir," Evee stood defiantly.

"No! You are bound under contract with Hanson Roughriders! You cannot separate from us, unless you buy off the contract! But looking at your condition, there's no way in hell you can do that!"

"My contract is with Knell's Cavaliers, Sir, not Hanson Roughriders. Since the Knell's Cavaliers is currently defunct, I am free to go wherever I want to go. And for the record, I'm keeping the money. If you want to challenge my decision, we can settle this matter at MRBC."

The Hanson Roughriders' representative arose from his seat, trembling as his anger overwhelmed him. But he knew Evee's words held the truth. With rattling teeth he hissed, "Fine! But watch your back, Evee Ridinghood! We may cross path someday, and when we do, I'll make sure the Hanson Roughriders crush you to the last man!"

"I'll be waiting," Evee nodded, then exited the room, followed by the confused Allison and Kangpae.

"What the hell are you thinking, Evee?" Kangpae burst into rage. "We have good years ahead of us! How could you throw away opportunities like those?"

"Kangpae is right, Evee," Allison added. "It's not too late to regroup with the Hanson Roughriders. We need their support!"

"Listen, I don't ask you to come with me," Evee replied. "I have to do what I have to do. If you don't like my decision, I believe the Hanson Roughriders still want you back."

"I'm going with you," Allison said. "You're like a sister to me. But you have to think of our future. We're just a small unit. We can't buy mechs to make up a company. Liaising with Hanson Roughriders is the wisest thing to do."

"I agree, but right now I have my priority," Evee took a deep breath. "And that is to go to Wotan and get my Parker out of there."

"Wotan?" Kangpae choked. "Jade Falcon? You want to die, Evee?"

"I died long time ago if Parker did not throw himself into the Jade Falcon's hand," Evee fizzed. "I owe him my life. I will not stop until I can rescue him, or until I know I can't rescue him anymore. Call me nuts, but this is my life-debt I have to pay."

"Damn!" Kangpae huffed. He paused for a while, digesting Evee's word, and in the end he said, "Aw, hell! I'm going with you. I guess the experience fighting the Clan is priceless in Solaris."

"Thank you," Evee tapped his shoulder. "I need you. I can't do this alone."

"We can't do this alone," Allison stated. "We need some serious help if we really want to beat the Jade Falcon in their own yard."

"I know just the right man," Evee smiled. "Why don't you find a nice place to sleep. I'll join you in a short while."

As Kangpae and Allison went to find a hotel, Evee went to a phone booth. She put in some c-bills into the phone, then dialed some numbers. She waited until the answering machine took over, then spoke distinctly…

"Commander Rick? It's Evee, Evee Ridinghood. Still remember me?…"

**THE END**

**To be continued to I, Kerensky Chapter XX**

**

* * *

**

Thanks to Kat Wylder, Canonizado, and SulliMike23 for reviews.  
Special thanks to _SulliMike23_ for lending the Shooting Stars.

Parts of this story are inspired by _MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries_ and _MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries_


End file.
